Editorial: Keep hands on the wheel, not on the cell phone

Wednesday

Feb 25, 2009 at 12:01 AMFeb 25, 2009 at 2:23 AM

Anyone who's ever had to swerve out of the way for a driver straddling two lanes of traffic while text-messaging, or had to honk at a stoplight to get a driver typing out a message to pay attention to the road again, is probably going to like an idea floating around the state Legislature: tickets and fines for behind-the-wheel texters.

Anyone who's ever had to swerve out of the way for a driver straddling two lanes of traffic while text-messaging, or had to honk at a stoplight to get a driver typing out a message to pay attention to the road again, is probably going to like an idea floating around the state Legislature: tickets and fines for behind-the-wheel texters.

The problem is becoming widespread, with half of all 18- to 24-year-olds admitting to occasionally sending text messages behind the wheel, and 14 percent of all drivers saying they've done so, according to an American Automobile Association study.

Another 2006 federal study on so-called distracted driving found that the leading factor in most crashes - 80 percent - is driver inattention within three seconds of the accident. Putting it in even more stark terms, dialing or typing on a cell phone while driving increases the risk of a crash by 300 percent, according to the study. Just reading a text someone sent you? That triples the risk, too. As a result, more states are moving toward fining their texting offenders.

The Illinois bill's sponsor, state Sen. Dan Rutherford, says he got the idea while driving home from Chicago when he passed a woman who was operating her vehicle with her elbows while sending a text message on her cell phone. A child was strapped into a car seat behind her.

Now, the Pontiac Republican isn't suggesting that police start cruising around trying to find people driving while typing away. It's less likely, he says, to be a primary offense - something that merits getting you pulled over - than something the officer tacks on while ticketing you for speeding or other offenses. That could lead to some costly tickets - his texting fine would be $75 for a standard offense and $200 following an accident. Those penalties exist now in the city of Chicago.

Ordinarily this isn't the type of law a conservative like Rutherford would be pushing - he's not one for extending the heavy hand of government - but in this instance it doesn't just affect the safety of the person doing the texting, he says, but other passengers in the car as well as every other nearby motorist who is unknowingly put at risk.

Nonetheless, this legislation will undoubtedly have its critics, who see in it the oppressive hand of Big Brother, the nanny state on steroids. You can't legislate common sense, they'll say. Should we outlaw eating while driving, too? How about listening to the radio? The law cannot possibly account for every conceivable distraction, and shouldn't.

There's some truth in that, but from where we sit, texting while driving a couple tons of metal at high speeds is particularly egregious, as it not only takes a driver's eyes off the road but his or her hands off the wheel, as well. Many of these same opponents don't like seat belts, either, despite the dramatic, positive impact their use has had on highway fatalities and injuries. Ultimately, it's not such a burden to require the texting to wait until you're not putting yourself and others in harm's way. Meanwhile, this doesn't set up a whole new bureaucracy or unduly encumber cops.

Oh, people speed despite speeding laws, they drive drunk despite DUI laws, and some will still insist on typing away at 65 miles per hour no matter what the Legislature does here. But for others the risk of a costly fine may cause them to think twice and pull over to send their message.

Innocents who become victims of crimes of stupidity tend to view laws like this a little differently. If this bill helps lower the victim count, we can live with that.

Peoria Journal Star

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